Due to rapidly rising energy costs, there is increased demand for low cost, eco-friendly ways to generate electricity. Harnessing airflow is a well known way of generating electricity that is sustainable and eco-friendly. A popular method of harnessing airflow is to use windmills but these rely on unpredictable wind sources. Additionally, windmills are often quite large and heavy and therefore limited as to where they can be installed. As such, they are generally not suitable for more widespread use.
An alternative to windmill generated power is to access the airflow energy inside and outside of buildings to generate electricity. Hot air electric generating systems, both home and commercial, use the movement of hot air, also called convention currents, to generate electricity. The hot air is naturally occurring, and harnessing it to produce electricity can be done in a clean, environmentally safe, and highly efficient way.
An example of an existing system for capturing hot air inside of a home or other building is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,291. This system requires the installation of a conventional wind-powered turbine ventilator. The main purpose of the ventilator is to exhaust hot air accumulation within the building, in particular, under the roof. As hot air rises from under the roof, it flows through the ventilator and is exhausted into the atmosphere.
Other documents describe using captured hot air to generate electricity. One such example is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0216031. This system captures hot air or other waste energy from household items such as furnaces, water heaters, hot attic ventilation systems, and dryer vents. By adding a sealed plenum or pressure transition tube, the waste energy is harnessed and focused to a turbine. This system uses a motor driven impeller to drive the hot air or other waste energy through a cone and into a turbine which is in mechanical communication with a generator, thus requiring additional energy to assist in generating electricity from the hot air itself.
Further examples of systems for harnessing hot air flow to generate electricity are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,368,240 and in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0187698. U.S. Pat. No. 8,368,240 discloses using a wind powered turbine vent to generate electricity. This device relies on the wind turbine turning through a combination of the outside wind, escaping hot air, and/or a fan that pushes air through the system via airflow connections. The device also includes the use of several batteries and/or solar panels which power the fan and an air guide that directs airflow to the turbine. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0187698 describes a similar device that also uses a fan to force air flow to the turbine. Both systems require additional energy consumption devices to assist in generating energy from the hot air.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a less complicated system that is more energy efficient and that can be more easily installed and maintained. The present invention now satisfies this need.